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Research
Our nationally and internationally recognized research scientists are working to understand how cancer works and why it spreads. They are probing the secrets of its metabolism, molecule by molecule, in order to design ways to interrupt this process. UTHSCT researchers currently are investigating breast cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, and malignant mesothelioma - a rare form of cancer that attacks the lining of the chest and has been linked to asbestos exposure.

• Rakesh Srivastava, Ph.D., an associate professor of biochemistry at UTHSCT, is developing new drugs to treat breast and prostate cancer. He is studying potent new medications that only affect cancer cells and is investigating how certain chemical agents help prevent cancer cells from spreading.
• Sharmila Shankar, Ph.D., a UTHSCT instructor in biochemistry, is studying specialized drugs that are involved in regulating the cell cycle and how cells increase their numbers. She also is investigating how resveratrol, a natural chemical found in plants such as grapes, peanuts, and red wine promotes the death of cancerous and precancerous cells.
• Usha Pendurthi, Ph.D., UTHSCT associate professor of molecular biology, is investigating how proteins produced by specific molecules affect how cancers grow and spread throughout the body.
• Sreerama Shetty, Ph.D., a UTHSCT professor of medicine, is exploring how the same biological system that dissolves blood clots can be harnessed to kill cancer cells and block tumor growth.
• Steven Idell, MD, Ph.D., UTHSCT vice president for research, is probing the relationship between the body’s system for clearing blood clots and mesothelioma, a rare cancer that forms in the cells that line the chest cavity. It’s possible that restraining the clot-busting system may inhibit the growth and spread of cancerous tumors.

Medical Care
Oncologist Dr. Coty Ho has recently joined our medical staff. He completed his residency at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut and a fellowship in oncology at The Sydney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Ho has worked in cancer research and has expertise in bringing new cancer-fighting drugs to the market.